A/N: Woohoo, finally reached the end of Book 2! Thanks again for all who have read and reviewed. I might take a small break before starting on Book 3, but I promise it is coming!

"Well, well, well."

I had been having a nice time at the ball, when out of nowhere, my pleasant evening was interrupted by Madeleine's snide voice.

"If it isn't the woman who's ruining Cordonia," she said, arms folded across her chest, looking down her nose at me.

I took a deep breath before replying, trying to remain cool. "I'll concede that you would have made a good queen, Madeleine, but does that mean that I can't be a good queen, as well?"

She rolled her eyes and plucked a flute of champagne from a passing tray. "You cannot possibly be comparing me to you. I have been preparing for this role my entire life."

Her voice wavered a little, and she gulped her drink quickly as if steeling her nerves. I remembered Liam's words from our engagement shoot, and repeated them for Madeleine's benefit. "I can learn what you have, but you could never learn to be a compassionate, kind, and courageous leader." Without giving her the opportunity to retort, I spun on my heel and marched away, looking for a more friendly face.

I found Drake sitting by the bar, sipping his usual drink. "How are you holding up among all this courtly...bedlam?"

He looked up, his eyes widening briefly as they swept up my dress.

"Wow," he said, "You look like you jumped right out of a fairy tale."

"Suits me, don't you think?"

He grunted and sipped his drink. "Can I get you a drink?" he asked.

Before I answered, Penelope and Kiara walked up, getting the bartender's attention to order. "I'd like a-" Penelope started, but Drake cut her off.

"She wants something pink with an umbrella in it."

"How did you know?" Penelope said, turning to Drake with a smile.

"It's hard to miss when someone orders one of those travesties. A real drink doesn't need accessories."

"By 'a real drink,'" I told Penelope, "He means whiskey."

"I have to agree," Kiara said, smiling at Drake. "I've always been more partial to wine than cocktails."

"Look," he told her, waving his glass around a little. "You can drink all the top-shelf Barbaresco you want, but it's still going to be old grape juice."

I narrowed my eyes, studying the scene intently as Kiara looked surprised and ordered a Barbaresco. After receiving their drinks, Penelope and Kiara both offered me their congratulations before leaving. When we were alone again, I turned my attention to Drake.

"You're pretty good at remembering people's favorite drinks, huh?"

He shrugged. "What a person drinks says a lot about them."

"And what's my favorite drink?"

"You never seem to order the same thing twice," he said.

"I guess that's true. I like variety. Speaking of which, I believe you were about to order me a drink. Maybe you can find my new favorite."

Drake studied me for a moment, considering my challenge, and then whispered something to the bartender. After a few moments, he presented me with a tall, thin glass. I took a sip.

"Mmm," I said, savoring the refreshing mint. "Mojito. Delicious. But what made you choose that?"

"Just felt right," Drake said, ordering himself another drink. "A mojito seems like a basic cocktail. People order them like they're nothing, but there's complexity in there. It takes time to muddle the mint just right, find a balance of sour and sweet." He looked back at me. "People look at you and see simple things. You're an American. A Duchess. But anyone who's paying attention knows there's a lot more to you than that."

"Hm, so I've got hidden depths?"

"Anyone who thinks otherwise would be underestimating you."

I chuckled. "You know, at Liam's coronation, you had a different idea about me."

He looked down guiltily. "I never apologized for that," he said. "I was way out of line. I was just...feeling sorry for myself."

I shrugged. "I shouldn't have even brought it up. With everything that's happened since, it really doesn't matter."

"Well I'm still sorry. You've shown over and over again, Riley, that you're always going to be you. No titles or palaces or fancy dresses are going to change that."

"Thank you." I hesitated for a moment and then added, "I'm sorry too."

He looked at me with surprise. "For what?"

"For the way I acted around you during the tour. I didn't realize it at the time, but I think I was using you as...an escape, I guess? I shouldn't have kissed you."

"You saying you regret it now?"

"I'm saying I'd regret it if I ever hurt you."

He nodded. "We're gonna be fine, Harkness. We'll always be friends."

"Thank you, Drake. It means a lot to hear you say that."

"It's just the truth."

I reached up and pulled Drake in for a long hug, and then left him at the bar to wander back through the crowd, enjoying all the congratulations coming my way. My face was starting to hurt from all the smiling, but when I saw Liam walking towards me, I grinned even wider. "Hey," I said, letting him pull me close to him so he could kiss my cheek.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked.

"Of course. Although I haven't seen nearly enough of you."

"My thoughts exactly. I have a few minutes before my closing speech, I was thinking we could sneak away for a while. Take a stroll through the hedge maze, for old times' sake? There's a wishing well hidden in one of the far corners, I'd love to share it with you."

"Why King Liam, you're the one asking me to sneak away from a ball? I do believe I've been a bad influence on you!"

He grinned. "In all the best ways."

"Then, lead the way."

Carefully, Liam and I slipped out of the crowd and into the hedge maze. He walked with confidence, following a familiar path. Instead of heading to the center, he led me towards what seemed like a dead end, until we reached the last corner and I saw the wishing well he mentioned. "My mother showed me this place when I was a child," he told me as I stared in awe down the old well. It was made of white stone, with two tall pillars on either side and an archway overhead, all covered in climbing ivy. "The tradition says that if you whisper your heart's desire into the well, the fates will make it come true. And tonight, my love, I thought you might like to make a wish."

"Who am I to turn down a real-life wishing well?" I said with a smile, turning to face Liam again. "But now that I have you by my side, what else could my heart desire?"

He shook his head, "And you say I'm the cheesy one."

"Okay, okay, I've got a wish." I stepped towards the edge of the well, looked down, and whispered, "I wish for all my friends to be as happy as I am in this moment."

I stepped back and looked expectantly at Liam. "My turn," he said, taking my place beside the well. I moved to watch his face; his eyes were closed, brow furrowed in thought. Then, his expression cleared. There was a smile on his face as he murmured his wish into the well.

"What did you wish for?" I asked.

"Something I certainly hope to find. I wished for the courage to never let my fear dictate my choices, the way my father did."

"Liam, wish or no wish, you are already twice the king your father was. Your people are lucky to have you."

"To have us," he corrected, stepping towards me. He took my hands in his and looked down at me with a smile.

"Yes," I agreed. "But that us includes you. You've already learned from your father's mistakes. No one can be a perfect king, but I know that you'll be a great one."

"I...thank you. I can't tell you how much your faith means to me."

"You can thank me with a kiss," I suggested, and his smile softened. He looked into my eyes for a long moment before meeting me in a tender kiss.

"You are always beautiful," he said to me as he stepped back. "But tonight, Riley...tonight, I simply can't keep my eyes off of you."

"Just your eyes?" I teased.

"I didn't say that." With those words, he picked me up at the waist and lifted me onto the ledge of the well. I leaned against one of the sturdy marble columns and he pressed a passionate kiss to my lips, then down the curve of my neck and towards my chest. I grabbed the lapels of his coat and pulled him closer, hiking up my skirts so I could wrap my legs around his waist. He groaned as I kissed the spot just below his earlobe that I knew drove him crazy. He pulled back a little, taking in my face, glowing in the moonlight. "Have I told you just how captivating you are?" he asked.

"And just how captivating is that?"

Instead of answering, he gazed at me with fire in his eyes. I kissed him once more, and whispered in his ear, "What would you do with me, my King?"

He shuddered at my breathy words, and moved one hand up my thighs. "Whatever you desire," was his response, and I tugged his jacket off, tossing it aside and immediately starting on his shirt buttons.

As I ran my hands over Liam's barer chest, I said in a throaty whisper, "Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are?"

"You might have mentioned it," he said as he started working on my dress fastenings.

"We don't have much time," I panted, hopping from the ledge and shimmying out of my dress and undergarments while Liam discarded his pants. I hopped back onto the well, shivering at the cold stone, and pulled Liam closer to warm me.

"It's a good thing we have the rest of our lives for me to shower you with affection," he said as he kissed my collarbone. I wrapped my legs around him and urged him to take me, moaning loudly as he starting moving against me.

I raked my nails along his back, making him groan my name. "Oh, Riley..."

As soon as we were through, I kissed Liam's forehead and pushed him back. "We're going to be late for your speech."

"It was worth it," he said as he collected my clothes for me. As we walked through the maze together, I caught him looking at me with a look of such pure bliss that I couldn't help stopping and pulling him in for a long kiss. "We're going to be late," he said again.

"Fine," I huffed in faux irritation, and he laughed as he led me the rest of the way, back to the ball.

As soon as we arrived, Hana and Maxwell ran up. "Riley," Maxwell said urgently, "The fireworks are about to start! Where have you been?"

I glanced at Liam, then said, "Waiting for you to find me, of course!"

"Let's go!" Maxwell took my hand, dragging me from Liam's grasp. Liam and Hana quickly followed behind us.

"The best view is on the lawn," she said. "Drake's holding a spot for us."

"Finally, his usual 'standing around at parties' bit has a purpose," I said with a laugh.

When we arrived outside, we found not just Drake, but Bertrand, Savannah, and Bartie, all sitting on a blanket spread out over the grass. Bertrand was sitting as far as possible from Savannah, with Bartie in between them.

"The whole family's here," Maxwell said happily as he sat between Bartie and Bertrand. He helped Bartie make a fist for a fist bump.

Liam and I sat on the other side of the group, next to Hana and Drake. I snuggled up to Liam as we waited for the fireworks to begin. He sighed into my hair and I looked up at him with a questioning look.

"I just can't help but think of tonight as the calm before the storm," he said.

"Fireworks and a Homecoming Ball are calm?" I asked.

"Relatively speaking. After tonight, we both have a lot to prepare for. Our wedding, your coronation...solving the problems of an entire kingdom."

"Is it selfish if I want to focus on that first thing for a while?"

"I hope not, because I was thinking the same thing. So much of our future is going to be in the public light, but when I look forward to that day, I just think about us. About you."

"I wish we could skip ahead to our honeymoon. It's funny, I know we just got back from this long trip, but I feel like we could both use a vacation."

"I know I'd like nothing more than some time alone on a beach with you. Well, anywhere with you, really."

I sank back into him as the fireworks began, and for several long minutes, everything was silent except for the deafening cracks of the colored lights in the sky.

"This is the finale," Liam said, leaning close so I could hear him above the din.

I turned my face and planted a kiss on his lips, and he drew me closer, kissing back with fervor before breaking away to say. "You know you're missing the show."

"Sorry," I said, "Would you like to watch?"

He shook his head and pulled me back in, kissing me senseless until long after the fireworks fell silent. Finally, I looked up, seeing a nebula of smoke fading into the dark night sky. "Good finale," I said, making Liam laugh. We stood and, together with our friends, headed inside the palace. Liam's final speech of the night was to be given in the palace ballroom, I guess for the sake of tradition.

"Alright," Maxwell told me as Liam took the stage for his speech. "Liam will signal you when it's time for you to come up. I'd say make us proud, but we couldn't be more proud of you."

I smiled and pulled him in for a hug. "I owe it all to you, Maxwell. If it weren't for you, I'd still be a waitress, instead of a queen-to-be!"

I turned to Drake with a smile. "I just hope I'm ready for this."

"You're not," Drake said, and I gaped at him. He broke into a rare grin and handed me a champagne flute. "You can't toast without a glass," he said. As I took the champagne, he nodded. "Now you're ready."

On stage, Liam asked for everyone's attention. "Before the evening draws to a close," he said, "I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for coming together to celebrate our return. And to celebrate our new Duchess Riley of House Harkness. She has shown true strength in the face of adversity, a trait which we born Cordonians know well. Revitalizing the old Houses of Cordonia is just one of the ways in which I plan to reinvest in our beautiful country. Please join me in raising a glass once more to her...To Duchess Riley, the future Queen of Cordonia!"

As the crowd burst into applause, Liam held his hand out towards me, and I started walking towards the stage. Everything felt like slow motion, and I knew this was one of those moments that would be seared onto my memory for the rest of my life. I just didn't realize why. Until, that is, the lights went out.

An explosive popping sound tore through the air, followed by another, and another.

I heard confused voices, followed by panicked ones as everyone realized that what we were hearing was the sound of gunshots.

"Run!"

I could feel bodies pressing in and around me as guests scrambled for the exits in the dark.

"Riley?" I heard Liam's voice loud, yet distant. "Where is Riley? Guards, protect her!"

I opened my mouth to shout back, but was drowned out by an unfamiliar voice. It was angry and commanding, shouting, "Now! Take them out!"

The lights flickered back on and I could see masked intruders spread out around the room, with guns and knives and tactical vests full of grenades or smoke bombs or who knew what else. Drake was planted firmly next to me, looking around to figure out his next move. I didn't see Hana or Maxwell anywhere.

Across the room, Bastien was crying out for Liam to duck. The guards and Liam were all fighting off what looked like dozen of the armed assassins. I stared helplessly as Liam ducked under a knife and threw an assassin over his shoulder.

"Riley!" Drake's voice boomed in my ear, and I followed his gaze to see another masked man aiming a gun right at me. Panicked and frozen, I couldn't even scream as I watched him pull the trigger. "No!" Drake shouted, diving in front of me. I felt him pushed backwards by the force of the impact as the bullet hit him in the shoulder. He toppled into me, and we both hit the ground. I quickly scrambled to my knees, rolling Drake onto his back.

"Drake..." I cried, seeing the pool of blood on his jacket. I stared helplessly at Liam, unsure what to do next...